All is Not Lost in Death
by TardisWitch
Summary: Laurel realizes that her life is over, but that doesn't mean she's done with surprises.
Laurel blinked her eyes open as she groggily shook her head and tried to take in her surroundings.

Expect... she didn't seem to have any surroundings. Everything was just _white_. Not white walls and not fog or clouds, just blank and untextured white.

What was happening? She thought back to the last thing she remembered-She'd been in the hospital bad, talking to Oliver. They'd said she was fine, she was recovering, and then suddenly -

"No," she whispered, looking around again and then at herself, trying to find something - anything - to negate the terrible, obvious, conclusion.

Her hair had reverted back to it's natural brown, and she wasn't wearing a hospital gown, or her Black Canary uniform. Instead she was in a business skirt and blouse. She wasn't sure exactly what the change in appearance indicated, but it was certainly not something that would've happened if she were still alive.

Her breath started coming in short gasps and she tried to concentrate; slow it down - but everything seemed to be spinning. She was dead - gone. Dahrk had won. She'd left all of her friends to fight without her. Sara wouldn't have any idea what had happened. She'd never see her sister again.

Gone. All gone. All for nothing.

"Laurel."

The voice cut through her panic and she turned to see someone approaching. He wore a simple button-up shirt and jeans, and his eyes crinkled as they met hers and a smile split open his face.

Her breath caught. "T-tommy?" she sputtered, hardly believing it.

He beamed as he reached her and clasped her arms. "Dinah Laurel Lance. You never could stop trying to save the world."

She cried out and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. He rested his cheek on her head and for a moment they stood here. She listened to his heartbeat and felt his soft breath on her hair and clung to him as if her life depended on it.

They stepped back from each other and Laurel wiped tears from her cheek she hadn't been aware of shedding. She smiled and took a deep breath:

"So," she said, "I'm dead."

"Yeah," Tommy answered, looking ready to act in the case of more hysteria.

But Laurel just breathed. "So where are we? I'm assuming it's not heaven if they let you in, Merlyn," she joked with a half smile.

Tommy chuckled, "Really Luarel? 3 years and that's the first thing you say to me?" They laughed, and she hadn't realized how much she missed the sound of his laughter. "This isn't heaven," Tommy said, "this is a half way point. I just showed up to help guide you."

Laurel nodded and gestured for him to lead the way. They began walking in silence; there were ** _so many_** things she wanted to say she didn't even know where to begin.

So she didn't start with words. She slipped her hand into his and pressed her head to his shoulder.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"I know," he kissed the top of her head, "I saw ... everything you went through. Watching you struggle through so much and not being able to be there for you - it killed me." He paused, "no pun intended."

Laurel glared teasingly at him and he smirked. Of course Tommy Merlyn would joke about death.

"But seriously, it hurt," Tommy continued in a more somber voice. "I had hoped that when I died you and Oliver might be able to be happy but - you pushed him away."

"I pushed everyone away," Laurel whispered, thinking back to those blurred days of alcohol and drugs and numbness and pain. "I didn't think I could go on without you."

"But you did," Tommy said. "Granted, you made some questionable decisions along the way, and I almost agreed with Oliver when he opposed your whole Black Canary endeavor " - she elbowed him - "but we were wrong, and you did it." He grinned at her, "you overcame every obstacle life threw at you and you came out on top."

Her own smile wavered, "Not _every_ obstacle." Dahrk had gotten to her, he'd ended whatever path life had intended for her.

Tommy gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "They'll get through this. I know it's hard, but we have to accept that it's not our responsibility. All we can do is watch and hope they'll do all they can."

Laurel nodded and swallowed. She couldn't imagine how they'd stop Dahrk now, and she would always be worried about them, but she dropped the subject for now.

There was a moment of solemn silence, then Laurel began slowly swinging their joined hands.

"So..." she began, "meet anybody _interesting_ up here?" she raised her eyebrow at Tommy.

Tommy smirked, "No one as _interesting_ as you," he answered.

She chuckled, "are you telling me that you, Thomas Merlyn, have been up here for three years with all of the beautiful women who have ever died - and you waited for me?" her tone was light and teasing, but she couldn't stop the underlying emotion from choking her up slightly on those last words.

"Of course," Tommy said, stopping to face her. "I told you I could be a one-girl type of guy." He smiled softly at her and moved her brown hair away from her face. "I love you, Laurel."

"I love you too, Tommy," she said, and boy, did it feel good to say those words again.

Almost as good as it felt to once again feel his lips on hers as they stood in that infinite whiteness and kissed for the first time in three years.


End file.
